OAKLAND, Calif. — The slugger known as “Country Breakfast” gobbled up a slider like a big plate of bacon. Then he legged, lumbered and lurched his way 270 feet to third base.
Billy Butler, the Athletics’ “athletic” 240-pound designated hitter, belted his first triple of the season — and just his fifth in a nine-year career — after he pulled a pitch to left field in the second inning Wednesday. He jogged in to score three batters later.
And the Rockies were toast. Behind Butler’s triple and a fifth-inning RBI, the A’s gobbled up a run-starved Rockies offense 4-1 on Wednesday in a series finale.
The Rockies’ bats disappeared, again. They scored four runs in three low-calorie games. And the A’s took 2-of-3 games in this interleague series, dropping the Rockies to 1-15 in their past 16 interleague contests.
“Tough road trip, especially here in Oakland,” Carlos Gonzalez said. “We didn’t score very many runs this series. We know the offense needs to get going.”
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Colorado (34-44) hit the road last week on a hot streak. The Rockies had scored 67 runs in 11 games since June 17, including 16 in a three-game series at San Francisco’s pitcher-friendly park last weekend.
The A’s, even without ace Sonny Gray, who was released from a hospital Wednesday after a nasty bout of the stomach flu, rubbed out the Rockies like a gravy stain.
Ben Paulsen and Nick Hundley doubled in back-to-back at-bats in the fourth inning. Paulsen scored. That was it for the Rockies. Cooked.
The A’s were led by Billy Burns’ triple, double and two runs and Butler’s big day.
“We’re struggling a little bit,” Rockies starter Chad Bettis said. “We have to get back on the horse tomorrow.”
Bettis allowed three runs in just over five innings. He struck out Butler looking in the third with a runner on, but only after Josh Reddick’s RBI single. Bettis forced Ike Davis into a groundout to end the fifth, but only after Butler’s RBI single with the bases loaded.
Butler’s triple off the wall in the second sent left fielder Rafael Ynoa crashing into the wall.
“Raffy, that’s all I ask for, his effort,” Bettis said. “Today was not a very good effort on my part.”
The Rockies didn’t help much at the plate. They managed just five hits. Five starters went hitless. Only Gonzalez had multiple hits, doubling in the second and singling in the sixth.
Nolan Arenado’s 17-game hit streak, the longest active run in the majors, ended after he went 0-for-4.
With the score 0-0 in the second, Gonzalez followed his double by sneaking to third on a wild pitch by Jesse Hahn. With the A’s infield pinched in, Paulsen hit a chopper to second baseman Eric Sogard. And Gonzalez broke for home.
But Sogard’s throw got to catcher Stephen Vogt in plenty of time to nail Gonzalez.
“It was one of those plays where you take your chance. It was a tough play. Sogard made it look easy,” Gonzalez said. “I was able to see a couple pitches around the strike zone to take advantage of. But too bad my teammates couldn’t do the same.”
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or
